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General NBN FTTN or FTTB modem setup advice

This article will provide some general router (or modem router) setup advice which may help you set up a third-party router or modem router for iiNet nbn™ Fibre to the Node (FTTN) or Fibre to the Building (FTTB) broadband.

What you'll need

An active nbn™ FTTN or FTTB broadband service. We'll send you an SMS and/or email when your broadband service is activated.

A VDSL2-ready modem. If your modem does not support VDSL2-type connections, it won't work with your nbn™ FTTN or FTTB service.

Furthermore, if an incompatible modem is connected to the nbn™ FTTN/FTTB network, it will trigger an automatic lock of your service to prevent network issues and you'll have to contact us to get it unlocked. iiNet has made sure all VDSL2-ready modems sold by us have been whitelisted by nbn™ - Learn more on our blog.

Note for WiFi: Older devices may simply be "modems" and not "modem routers", which means it doesn't have the ability to wirelessly broadcast your internet as a WiFi signal in your home. These days the vast majority of modems on the market are actually modem routers by default, and we just call them modems because that's the norm. If your modem doesn't have a WiFi feature, you'll need to connect computers via Ethernet cables, or purchase a WiFi router separately and connect it to your modem so it can take care of the wireless.

The power supply cable that came with your modem. If you need a replacement for any reason, take care to note the Rated Input on the router's barcode sticker (e.g. 12V/2A) and buy a matching cable.

An RJ11 phone cable (at least one is typically included with a modem).

Optional to connect additional computer(s) to your router via Ethernet: An Ethernet cable (at least one is typically included with a modem, usually a Cat 5e). There are different kinds of Ethernet cables. If you're purchasing one from a store, we recommend Cat 6 or Cat 5e. A Cat 5 cable is not recommended because it may not support the speed capability of your nbn™ service.

Plugging in and connecting computers

Find the network wall socket in your home. They're most commonly found in the main living room space or bedrooms, but sometimes they're in the kitchen area. It should look something like the photo below.

Note: If If your home has the older 600-series wall sockets (typically the plug is a yellow square with 3 prongs), you’ll need to purchase an adapter that allows you to plug in a modern RJ11 phone cable. These adapters can be bought at all good electronics and computer stores.

You'll also need an available electric outlet to give your modem power. If you need to use a double-adapter, power board or extension cord this should be okay, but if your modem ever seems to have power issues the first thing you should try is plugging the power supply cable directly into the electrical outlet on the wall.

Take your modem's power supply cable and use it to connect your modem's power port (example below) to an electrical outlet. You may turn the modem on now or wait until you've finished plugging in the other cables.

Take your RJ11 phone cable (these are typically white/grey and thinner than Ethernet cables) and plug it into the modem's DSL port (example below). This port will typically be labelled with "ADSL" or "DSL". If you're uncertain, check the manufacturer's website for support information.

Plug the other end of the RJ11 phone cable directly into the telephony wall socket. You should not use a line filter.

If you have a computer nearby that you'd like to connect via Ethernet, take your Ethernet cable (this is typically yellow, blue or grey but other colours are possible) and plug one end into any one of the modem's Ethernet ports - most modems have 4 of them (example below).

Ethernet ports are most commonly labelled "LAN" or a symbol showing objects linking together. If you're uncertain, check the manufacturer's website for support information.

Other devices can be connected via WiFi. Modern modems are typically programmed to begin broadcasting WiFi as soon as they're turned on and have finished booting up. Even if the modem isn't connected to the internet, the WiFi can be used as a local connection between the modem and a computer/WiFi device to access the modem settings.

If your modem broadcasts WiFi by default, it will have a default WiFi network name (may be labelled "SSID") and default WiFi password (may be labelled "WPA", "WPA-PSK", etc.) which you can use to identify and connect to the WiFi. These details may printed on a separate card included with the modem, but they will also be printed on the barcode sticker on the back or underside of the modem (example below).

Open your web browser and go to your modem's default gateway. Some of the most common addresses are http://192.168.1.1, http://192.168.0.1 and http://192.168.1.254.

If these addresses don't work for you, the easiest way to find the modem's default gateway address is to check the manufacturer's website for support information. Alternatively, if you have a desktop PC or Mac you can follow the advice in this article to find the gateway address.

You'll see a login page. If there's a username field, the default username will almost always be admin (it may even already be filled in). The default password is typically admin or password.

If you can't log in with these settings, please check the manufacturer's website for your modem's default login settings. If the modem is secondhand or you've used it previously, it may already have custom login details set. If you need to, you can factory reset the modem to return it to the default settings.

Important: From here, it gets a little tricky to offer general advice for all modems. The layout of modem settings pages can vary greatly for each different modem. If you get stuck or it's not clear where you should enter your broadband settings, you need to check the manufacturer's website for support information.

Ideally, your modem will have a Setup Wizard or Quick Setup that will run automatically the first time you log in to the settings, or there'll be a fairly obvious button to launch it. Some modems may include a Setup CD that will run this Setup Wizard for you and then send the settings to your modem.

The Setup Wizard should run you through entering the required broadband settings, step by step.

Any Mode/Modulation/Interface setting should be set to VDSL or VDSL2. The most important setting is the WAN Type/Connection Type/Encapsulation, which should be set to IPoE or Dynamic IP.

Note: Internode services require a PPPoE configuration. When using this connection type, you'll also need your broadband username and password which can be found on the email we sent you when your service activated. If you have forgotten these details, please call Internode Support on 13 66 33 for assistance.

If there are any broadband settings in your modem's Setup Wizard that aren't covered in iiNet Broadband Settings (e.g. MTU) then it should be fine to leave it as the default setting.

Most Setup Wizards will run you through the WiFi settings as well as your broadband settings. This will give you the opportunity to change the default WiFi network name (SSID) and WiFi password (WPA/WPA2-PSK) to something you'd prefer.

You should write down your custom WiFi details for easy reference in the future, but you should not set your WiFi to have no password as this is a security risk.

Note: If you're accessing the modem settings over WiFi and you've changed the WiFi settings, your device will disconnect once the new settings have saved. You'll need to reconnect using the new WiFi details. If your device appears to remain connected to the WiFi but you can't get online, you may need to go into the device's WiFi settings and select "Forget this network" before reconnecting.

After completing the Setup Wizard and saving your settings, give the modem some time. Some modems reboot automatically after every new configuration, while others simply need a few minutes to apply the settings and get online.

Take a look at the lights on your modem. Most should now be green, blue, purple or another "positive" colour. Many modems have lights that flash to indicate connection activity, so you shouldn't be concerned if any lights are flashing unless the manufacturer's support information specifically advises that flashing lights indicate a problem.

If any status lights appear red, orange or another "negative" colour, please call us on 13 22 58 for assistance.

Hop on one of your computers or WiFi devices and try to visit a website. If it works, your broadband is up and running!

Stuck?

If you can't get online after following this advice or you get stuck partway, just give our friendly Support Team a call on 13 22 58 and we'll be happy to help.

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